Beans, Peas and Monarchs!

Hello Gardeners!

What do beans, peas and monarchs have to do with each other?

See below for answer.

 

Fall is a wonderful time of the year! Flowers are still blooming and gardens are still producing, and the temperatures are still nice for plenty of time outside. My patch of the world only got less than a ¼” of rain recently—not enough! As much as I like sunny, cool days, I know we still need rain. So I’m willing to take several rainy days to help out the trees and other plants. Keep watering your trees even in the fall as they need reserves to carry them through the winter.

 

Answer: Trick question…they are all topics of this email!

 

Do you raise Monarch butterflies?

If you raise your monarch caterpillars inside your home you may be causing them to not know how to migrate south for the winter. From this University of Chicago study, they found wild monarchs raised in captivity inside (or monarchs purchased commercially) were not able to determine the direction to migrate. Monarchs raised outside in an enclosed screened area were still able to find ‘south’. You can read about the study here.

From the article: ‘But the new study shows that however well-intentioned, monarch enthusiasts should remember that the migratory behavior of these beloved butterflies is incredibly fragile.’ Perhaps a better way to help monarch populations is to grow more milkweeds or raise them in a screened container outside.

 

Grow a Row Participants

 

If you haven’t already harvested your pea or bean seeds, now is the time. Wait until the pods are dry and brown. Remove the pods from the plants and remove the seeds from the pods. Place the seeds in a paper envelope with the name of the plant, your location, date and the words “Grow a Row”. After placing the seeds in an envelope, seal it and return it to the seed library table at the White Bear Lake library. I will take all the Grow a Row seeds and mix them together, keeping the peas separate from the beans. Then next season, people can grow them again and we’ll repeat the process. Over time our pea and bean seeds will be more adapted to our region.

 

Special Offer for the ‘Grow a Row’ Gardeners!

 

If you don’t want to remove the seeds from the pods, you can return the whole pods to the Seed Library. There is a memory care facility where the residents can shell your pea or bean pods. This is an easy and repetitive task the residents can do independently. Just place the whole pods in a paper bag, write ‘Grow a Row’ on the bag and your location. Drop off at the Seed Library table inside the WBL library, 2150 2ndt St, White Bear Lake.

Please indicate if your seeds or pods are from the ‘Grow a Row’ project so I don’t get them mixed up with other types of seeds.

                                   Thank you to those who grew a row for the Seed Library!

 

Seeds Needed

The seed library is short on tomato, pea and native plant seeds. This is a great time to start saving seeds. Many native plants have seed pods or seed heads ready for harvesting.

The seed library welcomes any seed donations of non-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.

 

 

Where are the seeds?

Since the end of June the seed drawers and catalogs are back at the White Bear Lake library. You can access the seed packets during regular library hours. The Seed Library table is to the right as you come through the double doors. (White Bear Lake library, 2150 2^nd St, White Bear Lake; M: 10-8, T, W: 1-8, Th, F, Sa: 10-5)

You can find the current list of available seeds on the Seed Library website at Seed Library site. Or a less than current paper list on the Seed Library table in the library.

If you can’t find the seeds you’re looking for please let me know via email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com and I’ll get you the seeds if they are available.

 

Volunteer Opportunity

Help package seeds for the seed library. If interested, send me an email and I’ll get you seeds, supplies and instructions. You package the seeds and return them to the seed library table.

 

Future Seed Talks via Zoom, all at 6:30pm

Nov  9, 2021 Tues – How to Do Winter Sowing

Learn how to start seeds using the winter sowing method of germination.

Register at Seed Talk.

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam

 

 

We Need Seeds! Check out New Events

 

Hello Gardeners!

These cooler days are welcome, but there is still plenty of growing season left. Tomatoes, squash, onions and many more vegetables are still ripening. I have oodles of asters and goldenrod blooming keeping the bees happy too.

There are a couple new events coming up quick, so check them out at the end of this email.

Grow a Row Participants

If you haven’t already harvested your pea or bean seeds, now is the time. Hopefully, the pods are dry and brown. Remove the pods from the plants and remove the seeds from the pods. Place the seeds in a paper envelope with the name of the plant, your location, date and the words “Grow A Row”. After placing the seeds in an envelope, seal it and return it to the seed library table at the White Bear Lake library. I will take all the Grow a Row seeds and mix them together, keeping the peas separate from the beans. Then next season, people can grow them again and we’ll repeat the process. Over time our pea and bean seeds will be more adapted to our region.

                                   Thank you to those who grew a row for the Seed Library!

 

Seeds Needed

The seed library is short on tomato and native plant seeds. This is a great time to start saving tomato seeds. Many native plants have seed pods or seed heads ready for harvesting too.

The seed library welcomes seed donations of hon-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.

 

Where are the seeds?

Since the end of June the seed drawers and catalogs are back at the White Bear Lake library. You can access the seed packets during regular library hours. The Seed Library table is to the right as you come through the double doors. (White Bear Lake library, 2150 2^nd St, White Bear Lake; M: 10-8, T, W: 1-8, Th, F, Sa: 10-5)

You can find the current list of available seeds on the Seed Library website at Seed Library site. Or a less than current paper list on the Seed Library table in the library.

If you can’t find the seeds you’re looking for please let me know via email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com and I’ll get you the seeds if they are available.

 

Volunteer Opportunity

Help package seeds for the seed library. If interested, send me an email and I’ll get you seeds, supplies and instructions. You package the seeds and return them to the seed library table.

 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

 

Grower Spotlight: Feed Me Farms | September 23, 4-5:30 PM | Minnetonka

 

Jake Jarecki started Feed-Me Farms and is in the second year of production. He farms former lawn at a Synagogue, Lutheran Church, and a friend's side yard. Jake’s is a great case study on how to get started without a lot of money or owning land. Growing on city lots can be a low cost, low risk way to get a start in farming, and gain valuable experience, build assets and cultivate business relationships.

We will explore what it takes to start a market farm. Lawn owners and urban and

Address: Bet Shalom Synagogue, 13613 Orchard Road Minnetonka, MN. Please pre-register for a head-count, walkups are welcome too.

 

 

Compost! | September 25, 10 AM - Noon | Minneapolis

 

This event is focused on that magical pile in our yards, gardens, and farms: compost! Urban Ventures will host the gathering at their gardens along the Greenway. We'll see their composting operations, and veteran composter Russ Henry and Chesney Engquist of Minnehaha Falls Landscaping will also facilitate our discussion on making quality compost for soil quality.

Join in and learn:

    What you need to make compost

    How to build a good compost pile

    How to manage the pile to make high quality compost

    How to use finished compost

Address: Urban Ventures Greenway Gardens, 2841 S. 5th Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55408. Please pre-register for a head-count, walkups are welcome too.

 

Future Seed Talks via Zoom, all at 6:30pm

Nov  9, 2021 Tues – How to Do Winter Sowing

Learn how to start seeds using the winter sowing method of germination.

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam

 

Seed Talk: How To Save Seeds

 

Hello Gardeners!

It’s hard to believe it is September already, but I am happy to finally have cooler temperatures. My gardens are still producing—I still have lots of zucchini and eggplants ripening!  Maybe more than I need. I’ll have to find some creative recipes to use the extras.

Soon it will be fall and my thoughts will be on saving seeds for next season. If you are interested in saving your own seeds, please attend the next Seed Talk.

 

Seed Talk – How to Save Seeds

Tuesday September 14th, 2021, 6:30 pm via Zoom

This Seed Talk is all about saving seeds—tomato, beans, peas, lettuce and native plant seeds. You can use the seeds you harvest in your garden next growing season or to donate to the seed library. Collecting your own seeds is a great way to grow plants that are more adapted to your growing area. Also find out the best way to store seeds over the winter.

Though saving seeds is mostly straight forward, there are some special cases, such as tomatoes. Also, ‘When is the best time to save seeds?’ is also a common question. Tune into this Seed Talk to find out all the details.

Seed Talks are community events where everyone can participate! Please feel free to share your experiences with seed saving. Questions and answers welcomed by everyone.

Seed Talk via Zoom. You must register at least 3 hours prior to the event via Seed Talk.

 

!! Time to Start Saving Seeds !!

The seed library is short on tomato and native plant seeds. This is a great time to start saving tomato seeds. Many native plants have seed pods or seed heads ready for harvesting too.

The seed library welcomes seed donations of hon-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.

The Seed Talk on September 14 is all about how to save seeds, both vegetable and native plants. If you grew a row for the seed library, let the pods dry on the vine before harvesting.

 

Where are the seeds?

Since the end of June the seed drawers and catalogs are back at the White Bear Lake library. You can access the seed packets during regular library hours. The Seed Library table is to the right as you come through the double doors. (White Bear Lake library, 2150 2^nd St, White Bear Lake; M: 10-8, T, W: 1-8, Th, F, Sa: 10-5)

You can find the current list of available seeds on the Seed Library website at Seed Library site. Or a less than current paper list on the Seed Library table in the library.

If you can’t find the seeds you’re looking for please let me know via email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com and I’ll get you the seeds if they are available.

 

Volunteer Opportunity

Help package seeds for the seed library. If interested, send me an email and I’ll get you seeds, supplies and instructions. You package the seeds and return them to the seed library table.

 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

 

Future Seed Talks via Zoom, all at 6:30pm

Nov  9, 2021 Tues – How to Do Winter Sowing

Learn how to start seeds using the winter sowing method of germination.

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam

 

Next Seed Talk on all about Dirt Vs Soil, Tuesday August 10th

 

Hello Gardeners!

My thoughts are constantly on the weather lately—will it rain?

So far not enough rain and my poor plants are thirsty. I have been watering my gardens somewhat, but now I have turned to some of my tress. You may think your tree roots go down deep enough that they will be fine during a drought, but most of the roots that take up water are located in the top few inches of the soil and that soil is bone dry!

Most tree roots are in the top 6-18 inches of soil and spread out horizontally.  Many trees have roots that spread out way past the dripline. Also the top 6-18 inches is where the nutrients are for your trees. A tree can survive water stress but it may be compromised for fighting insects or disease and come this winter it may not have stored enough nutrients to survive.

One of the best ways to water your trees is to turn on the hose with just a small stream of water and place the hose at the dripline of your tree. Let is sit there for at least 30 minutes to soak the ground. Then move it a quarter of the way around the tree and let it soak again. Continue until you have soaked the entire circumference of your tree. Placing the hose right up by the trunk is not as helpful as there are more roots right under the dripline than by the trunk.                                 

 

Seed Talk – Without Good Soil All You Have is Dirt

Tuesday August 10th, 2021, 6:30 pm via Zoom

Do you know the difference between dirt and soil?

This Seed Talk is all about improving the soil your plants depend on. The number one thing you can do to improve your garden is provide well-structured soil with ample nutrients for your plants to grow in. It's easy and guaranteed to provide better results. Fall is a great time to start improving your garden soil so it's more than just dirt.

Seed Talks are community events where everyone can participate! Please feel free to share your experiences with soil improvement. Questions and answers welcomed by everyone.

Seed Talk via Zoom. You must register at least 3 hours prior to the event via Seed Talk.

 

!! Time to Start Saving Seeds !!

The seed library is short on tomato and native plant seeds. This is a great time to start saving tomato seeds as you probably have harvested some tomatoes already.

To save tomato seeds, scoop out the seeds and pulp and place them in a glass. Add water to cover and let sit for a few days. Drain off the pulp and non-viable seeds that have floated to the top. Place the seeds that sank to the bottom on a ceramic plate to dry. When the seeds have dried, put them in an envelope labelled with the name of the tomato, the date and location. Please consider donated any extras to the seed library. Only donate non-hybrid seeds to the Seed Library.

 

The seed library needs native plants this year! Most native plants won’t have seeds ready for harvesting until later this fall, but please make a mental note to save some for the seed library.

 

The Seed Talk on September 14 is all about how to save seeds, both vegetable and native plants. If you grew a row for the seed library, let the pods dry on the vine before harvesting.

 

Where are the seeds?

Since the end of June the seed drawers and catalogs are back at the White Bear Lake library. You can access the seed packets during regular library hours. The Seed Library table is to the right as you come through the double doors. (White Bear Lake library, 2150 2^nd St, White Bear Lake; M: 10-8, T, W: 1-8, Th, F, Sa: 10-5)

I must apologize as not all the seeds are in packets and the catalogs are not fully updated. Since March 2020 I have mostly packaged seeds as they were requested. You can find the current list of available seeds on the Seed Library website at Seed Library site. Or a less than current paper list on the Seed Library table in the library.

If you can’t find the seeds you’re looking for please let me know via email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com and I’ll get you the seeds if they are available.

The membership forms are back at the library’s main desk too. Again, I apologize as I did not update your membership form if you requested/donated seeds this last year. (It really was too much to do.) If you are new to the White Bear Lake Seed Library, the membership form is a means to find out the general location of people using the seed library and for you to let me know your email address. You can let me know if you want to be on the seed library’s email list to be informed of events and other cool stuff related to gardening. I never give out your email address to anyone.

 

Volunteer Opportunity

Help package seeds for the seed library. If interested, send me an email and I’ll get you seeds, supplies and instructions. You package the seeds and return them to the seed library table.

Summer is usually a slow time for the seed library, so it is easier for me to hand out envelopes of seeds for others to package as I don’t have to worry about someone requesting a seed variety I handed to someone else to package.

 

How to Donate Seeds to the Seed Library

The seed library welcomes seed donations of hon-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.

 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

 

Future Seed Talks via Zoom, all at 6:30pm

Sep 14, 2021 Tues – How to Save Seeds

Learn how to save vegetable, herb and native plant seeds to use for future seasons.

 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: WBL Seed Library

 

Pam